Schoolchildren are being asked by NASA and the American Geophysical Union
(AGU) to rename a satellite to be launched later this year.
The first Earth Observing System satellite, EOS-AM-1, will monitor cloud
properties, fires and other climate-related phenomena. Though EOS means “dawn”
in Greek, NASA decided to repeat the process that yielded the name “Sojourner”
for the Mars Pathfinder rover. “It was a cleverly chosen acronym, but we’re
looking for a better name,” says AGU spokesman Harvey Leifert. Entries must
include a 300-word essay explaining the name, and are due by 29 May.
